1 Contemporary Macrobiotics Visions of Planetary Health and Peace By Edward Esko Published in Association with Infinity Education International Becket, Massachusetts c Copyright 2000 by Edward Esko This book may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the author. 2 Edward Esko Contemporary Macrobiotics Visions of Planetary Health and Peace Contents Foreword by Alex Jack Part I 1. Allergies 2. John and Yoko in Boston 3. Dietary Goals for the United States 4. Europe 1977 5. Riding the Night Owl 6. Images of Japan 7. How Recalled By Life Happened 8. The Quest for Peace 9. Buenos Aires 10. A Trip to Prague 11. Hanau Diaries 12. Macrobiotics in Southern California 13. With Dr. Spock in Maine 14. Conversations with T. Colin Campbell 15. Belgium and France 16. Macrobiotics in the Pacific Rim 17. Beautiful Rain: A Tribute to Herman Aihara 18. Dream Never Dies 3 Part II 19. Yin and Yang in Social Organization 20. Misconceptions About Macrobiotics 21. Suggestions for United States Food Policy 22. Were the Founding Fathers Macrobiotic? 23. Diet and Disease: An Overview 24. A Solution to the Global Energy Crisis 25. Diet and Behavior 26. The Freedom to Teach Macrobiotics 27. Crime and Diet 28. The New Ecology 29. Questions and Answers About Macrobiotics 30. The Dimensions of Counseling 31. A Letter to Bill Clinton 32. Toward Planetary Family 33. Preventing Crime Through Diet 34. Freedom for Health 35. Personal Health and the Environment 36. Basics and Benefits of Macrobiotics 37. New Reasons to be Dairy-free 38. Maintaining Optimal Weight 39. Using Food in Healing 40. Treating Autumn Colds 41. Common Digestive Disorders 42. Cravings and Addictions 43. Menopause and Macrobiotics 44. Daikon for Health and Healing 4 45. Spirals of Health Part III 46. The Spirit of the Earth 47. Balance in the Art of Cooking 48. Food for Spiritual Development 49. The Beauty of a Rice Field 50. Our Cosmology of Life and the Universe 51. Spirals and Life Cycles 52. New Science 53. Albert Einstein and the Order of the Universe 54. The Cycle of Energy and the Common Cold 55. The Yin Yang Game 56. On Unity and Polarity 57. Discovering Yin and Yang 58. The Pulse of Life 59. Relativity 60. Jurassic Science 61. Reflections on the Philosopher’s Stone 62. The Wheel and the Spiral 5 Foreword Over the last generation, macrobiotics has grown from a handful of hippies and dropouts into a health revolution that is spreading into the mainstream. From Boston to Sydney, from San Francisco to Beijing, from Denver to New Delhi, macrobiotic principles are guiding society toward a healthier, more peaceful way of life as we enter the new century. Hotels, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons are now actively serving macrobiotic products to their staffs, clients, and the general public. In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened a permanent collection at the National Museum of American History recognizing macrobiotics as the catalyst and spearhead for the natural, organic foods movement and alternative and complementary medicine in the United States. Edward Esko, the author of this book, has been among the most active contemporary macrobiotic teachers over the last twenty-five years, lecturing and counseling in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and throughout North America and writing and editing numerous books and articles. Building on the teachings of George Ohsawa, Michio Kushi, and other forebears, he has applied yin and yang--the universal principles of change and harmony--to helping solve personal health concerns, as well as problems related to crime and violence in society, the environmental crisis, and other social ills. 6 Contemporary Macrobiotics recounts the author’s adventures, discoveries, and travels. Like a peaceful Jedi Knight, we see him sallying forth through the dark, forbidding nutritional landscape of Europe, upholding the virtues of sea salt against an array of detractors. Like a modern samurai swordsman, we see him plunging into the thicket of biological transmutation, conceiving of new ways to produce steel, tungsten, and other precious metals and defuse the approaching energy crisis. From John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Dr. Spock and T. Colin Campbell, he engages seers and prophets of balance who have foreseen the limits of modern society. On his journeys, Edward continually offers practical advice to individuals and families, organizations and nations. In these pages, we see him showing parents how to prevent their children from being hyperactive. He helps others reverse schizophrenia, overcome hypoglycemia, or relieve a kidney stone. In macrobiotics, the personal and planetary are inseparable. When one person is nourished, the whole planet benefits. When the world is healed, each person is cleansed and refreshed. The essays in this book are part of the most exciting adventure in the world today--macrobiotica, the universal life--to preserve our planet and ensure humanity’s continued biological and spiritual evolution for future generations. Please enjoy the literary voyage before you, begin to incorporate principles of natural order in your own life, and join in the eternal quest for enduring health and peace. 7 Alex Jack Becket, Massachusetts August 29, 1999 8 Part I: Anecdotes and Experiences 9 1. Allergies I would like to relate my experience with the healing power of macrobiotics. Throughout childhood and adolescence, I suffered from allergies. Practically every day of my life I would sneeze repeatedly and my nose would run. Nasal congestion was a year-round problem, and became worse with the coming of late summer and hay fever season, when I would experience swelling in my nose and around my eyes. From time to time this chronic condition erupted into a full-scale infection that included fever, mucus in the chest, and general bodily weakness, for which penicillin and other antibiotics were prescribed. Once, when I was eight years old, the infection appeared in my throat and was diagnosed as tonsillitis, after which my tonsils were removed. That was the worst experience of my childhood, without a close second. In the meantime, as the allergic condition continued, I usually traveled with a pack of tissues in my pocket and went to sleep with a box of tissues next to the bed. It was difficult to concentrate on schoolwork or fully participate in and enjoy life. From time to time my parents became concerned and would try to discover what it was that I was allergic to. The new carpet, the mattress, feathers in the pillow, and of course, the mysterious and unseen pollen all became 10 suspect. At one point I went to an allergy specialist who injected my arm with a variety of substances in an attempt to identify the culprit. Small lumps, like mosquito bites, appeared where the needles had been inserted. However, according to the doctor, the results were inconclusive. The mystery continued. Occasionally I would have strong reactions to animals, especially cats. At times, if I came in contact with an ordinary house cat, I would sneeze repeatedly and my eyes would water. If I touched the cat, itchy red spots would appear on my skin. In the fall of 1970, at the age of nineteen, I discovered macrobiotics. Friends introduced me to a person who had spent time with George Ohsawa in the early 1960s in New York. Macrobiotics made perfect and absolute sense. Yin and yang were compelling and irresistible. According to the philosophy of macrobiotics, I was the cause of the allergies, not some external factor. Macrobiotic philosophy suggested that the condition was the result of poor blood quality resulting from an unbalanced diet, especially the repeated intake of foods such as milk, cheese, sugar, tropical fruits, ice cream, and too much fluid. Dairy food was especially problematic. Like many others, I had assumed that milk products were a fact of life. Fortunately, macrobiotics liberated me from a lifetime of dependence on cows. I realized that my health, happiness, and even my spiritual development depended on whether or not I could wean myself from dairy products. 11 Although I began macrobiotics more for spiritual than for health reasons, when I began to eat whole grains, beans, cooked local vegetables, sea vegetables, miso, and other wholesome foods, and eliminated ice cream, candy, milk, butter, and cheese from my diet, the symptoms I had experienced all my life disappeared one by one. I was even able to be in the same room with a cat without experiencing discomfort. Rather than rejecting them as before, I now considered them as friends. Instead of being suspicious of the natural environment, I began to embrace it. Source: This essay is based on an article entitled, Allergies, published in Case History, East West Foundation, Boston, Mass., Summer, 1975. 12 2. John and Yoko in Boston To me, John Lennon was one of the most interesting personalities to emerge during the Sixties. He had a fantastic stage presence, a terrific rock ‘n roll voice, and, when writing songs, an uncanny knack for combining clever lyrics with innovative chord changes and melodies. He enjoyed doing what he was doing, had the courage to speak his mind (even when it got him into trouble), and was known and loved around the world. John’s songs seemed to define the experience of coming of age in the Sixties, from the exhilaration of falling in love (I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Should Have Known Better, Thank You Girl), to the experience of lost love (Ticket to Ride, I’ll Be Back, I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party), to the search for inner meaning (You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, In My Life, Help!) to the development of social awareness and the quest for peace (Revolution, All You Need is Love, Give Peace a Chance, Imagine).